Automatic traffic signal



April 15 1924. 1,490,567

H. A. KL EINSTEUBER ELT AL AUTOMATIC TRAFFIC Original Filed Sent. 12, 1921 4 Sheets-811601;]

TRAFFIE 9 9 [mg 8 l mm Fill l l H1150 A -Kl'ems'teuharf Thumas 12 f H3585 April 15 5-1924,: 1,490;567.f

' H. A. KLEINSTEUBER ET AL;

AUTOMATIC TRAFFIC SIGNAL Original Filed Sent. 12 1921 4 Sheets-Sheet KI einsteub e1" Thomas E Hages 7 Hugo April 15. 1924. 4 I j 1,490,561

H. A. KLEINSTEUBER ET AL I AUTOMATIC TRAFFIG-SIGNAL Hugo AQ- KIemsIEuber Thumas E HaHgs.

H. A. KLEINSTEUBERE T AL,

AUTOMATIC TRAFFIC small.

April -1'5,=1924 Original Filed ent. l2 1921 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Q UMVEQ HugmAKfainsiEuh-er Q Thnmas E- a as K; x v a Patented Apr. 15, 1924.

UNITED STATES 1,490,561 PATENT OFFICE.

HUGO A. KLEINSTEUBEB AND THOMAS E. HAYES, OF KILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN, A8- SIGNOBS OF ONE-THIRD TO WILLIAM A. CALLAHAN, OF MILWAUKEE, WISCONSIN.

AUTOMATIC TRAFFIC SIGNAL;

Application filed September 12, 1921, Serial No. 499,883. Renewed larch 10, 1824.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, HUoo A. KLEIN- STEUBER and THOMAS E. Hares, both citizens of the United States, and residents of Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Traffic Signals; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact 1 description thereof.

Our invention relates to a new and improved automatic traffic signal which is adapted to be placed at the center of a street crossing and to indicate in which direction the traffic shall move.

The object of the invention is, broadly,

- to provide a device of this kind which will be entirely automatic in its nature so that the successive signals directing th traffic will be displayed in the required succession and at proper intervals of time without the intervention of any human agency. It frequently happens when trafiic policemen are stationed at crossings that they are called 95 away from their post to perform other duties. With the present invention it is not generally necessary to have any trafiic policeman at the crossing and in case one is stationed there he is able to devote his entire attention to watching the trafiic Without'having his attention distracted by manipulating the signals.

A further object of the invention is to provide means by which the intervals of time during which the various signals are displayed maybe varied in pro ortion to the density of trafiic in the di erent directions.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a signal, warning the drivers in advance when a change in the trafiic is to,

be made in order that the way may be cleared in preparation for the change.

The invention consists further in certain structural details and combinations of parts which are hereinafter fully described and set forth in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings Figure 1 is a front elevation of the device which comprises our invention.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the upper portion of the same.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the same. Figure 4 i a sectional plan view on the line 4-4 of Figure 1.

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view showlng the structure of the automatic switch by which the lamps for the various signals are energized the same being taken on the line 55 of Figure 6. 00

Figure 6 is a front elevation of the automatic switch.

Figure 7 is a sectional view on the line 77 of Figure 5.

Figure 8 is a detail view of one of the O6 discs which forms a part of the switch.

Figure 9 is a diagrammatic view of the wlri ng of our invention.

Figure 10 is a vertical sectional view thru the signal casin substantially on the plane lndicated by t e line 10--10 of Figure 11, and Fi re 11 is a sectional plan vlew on the p ane indicated by the line 11-11 of Figure 10.

Referring specifically to the drawings, (I the numeral 1 indicates a framework on which our invention is mounted and which ls preferably embedded in a concrete base 2. The lower part of the framework is provided with a: housin 3 within which 00 is an electric motor 4. The numeral 5 indicates a switch for controlling the main circuit from which the current is supplied and 6 indicates a transparent lens through which a llght may be displayed for indicatmg the location of the base. At the upper portion of the framework a plurality of compartments 7, 8, and 9, are provided and the walls of these compartments are suitably marked so as to indicate to approaching drivers the direction in which traffic is rmitted to move. A switch 10 is provide for controlling the current through the motor. A main eed wire 11 branches oil from the wlre which supplies the motor and has parallel branches 12, 13 and 14, which lead to the lamps 15, 16 and 17 which are located in the compartments 7, 8, and 9, re-

spectively. The return wires from the lamps are connected with the binding posts 18, 19 and 20, from which the current is carried to the brushes 21, 22 and 23, re- 'spectively.

The motor 4 is running continuously when the switch 10 is closed and the motor shaft 24 carries a worm 25 which throu h the reduci ili g gearing 26 slowly drives to shaft 27. e ast named shaft is journalled in a suitable bearing 27', which is supported on an insulating base 28, and the spur gear collar 35 which forms a constant contact 26, of non-conducting material, so that the shaft is completely insulated. The shaft 27 carries a disk 29, which is provided with the several sets of sectors 30, 31, and 32, which are adapted to form successive contacts at the proper time with brushes 21, 22 and 23, respectively. These sectors and brushes may conveniently be arranged in the manner shown in Figures 5 and 6, in which the sectors 30 are of greatest radius and adapted to form contact with the brush 21, as the disk rotates. The sectors 31 are formed with arcuate ribs 31, which form contact with the brush 22, the latter being spaced from the disk so as not to contact with the sectors 30. The small sectors 32 are also offset, as is the brush 23, so that the latter may form a contacttherewith, but may not con tact with the remaining portions of the disk.

The shaft 27 also carries another disc or with a brush 36 which is connected with the terminal 37.

It will be seen therefore that as the motor shaft rotates, first one and then another of the sectors will form a contact'with its res tive brush and current will pass through tli corresponding lamp to visualize the corresponding traiiic signal whereby the approaching drivers are notified whether to stop or continue past the crossing. It will be understood also that at some crossings the trailic in one direction is more dense than in the transverse direction. I have therefore made the disk 29 removable in order that a number of interchangeable discs may be rovided so that a disc may be used which will provide the proper proportion of time for the traific in each direction. A modified form of disc is shown in Figure 4? in which the sectors 30 and ribs 31 form the contacts for the traflic and the small sec tors 32 form the contact for denoting that there is to be a traffic change.

These discs 29 are removably secured to the shaft 27 by the look not 39 and in order to secure the same so as to rotate with the sleeve 34:, the latter is provided with pins 40 which are received in the recesses ll of the disc.

When my device is in operation the ap proaching driver will see the sign Go or Stop whichever is lighted at that time. After a predetermined interval the lamp which is lighted becomes extinguished and.

at the same time the light is displayed for a short time in the compartment 9 indicating operated in the daytime as well as at night.

a hood 45 is preferably dprowlded on each side of each signal in or er to prevent the reflection of light from the outside of the compartment casing and thereby render the signal more clearly visible.

In the event that it is desired to discon tinue the operation of the automatic means, switches 42, 43 and 44, may also be provided which may be controlled by hand to operate the various signals, the switch 10 of course at this time is left open.

From the foregoing description it will be seen that I have provided an automatic signal which will regulate trafiic without the presence of a traffic policeman and by means of the various discs which will be provided the same may be regulated from time to time so that the time during which each signal is displayed will be almost exactly proportional to the density of traffic.

We claim as our invention 1. In a traffic crossing signal a casin divided in separate compartments, one a ove the other, each compartment havin a plurality of side anels, certain of said panels having means or conveyin traflic stop information and other pane 5 having means for conveying trafiic go information, an additional casing having means for conveying traffic change information in cooperation with the first casing, separate lam s in each compartment and in the additiona casing, and means for alternately illuminatin the lam s in the compartments and illuminating t e lamp in the additional casing between the alternate illumination of the other lamps.

2. In a traflic crossing signal a casing divided in separate compartments, one above the other, each compartment having a plurality of side panels, certain of said panels having means for conveying traffic stop information and other panels having means for conveying traffic go information, the trailic stop panels in each compartment alternating with the go panels in the same compartment, the panels in one compartment b81119 dissimilar to the corresponding panels in the other compartment, an additional casing having means for conveying traffic change information in cooperation with the first casing, separate lam s in each compartment and in the additiona casin and means for alternately illuminating the amps in the compartmentsand illuminating the lamp in the additional casing between the alternate illumination of the other lamps.

3. In a traffic crossing signal a casing divided in separate compartments having anels, certain of said panels having means ing having means for conveying traflic change information in cooperation with or conveying traflic stop information and the first casing, separate lamps in each compartment and in the additional casing, and means for alternately illuminating the lamps in the compartments and illuminating the lamp in the additional casing between the alternate illumination of the other lam )s.

4. In a trafiic crossing signal, a casing aving a plurality of compartments provided with panels, certain of said panels conve ing traflic go information and other of said panels conveying traffic stop information, an additional compartment having means for conveying traflic change information in cooperation with the compartments conveying traffic go and traffic stop in formatiomlamps in each of said compartments, and automatic means for alternately illuminating the lamps in the compartments indicating traffic go and trafiic stop information and illuminating the lamp in the traffic change compartment between the alternate illumination of the lamps in the other compartments.

In a traflic crossing signal, a casing having a plurality of compartments provided with panels, certain of said panels conveying traffic go information and other of said panels conveying traffic stop information, an additional compartment having means for conveying trafiic change information in cooperation with the compartments conveying traflic go and traffic stop information, lamps in each of said compartments, and automatic time controlled means for alternately illuminating the lamps in the com artments indicating traffic go and tra c stop information and illuminating the lamp in the traffic change compartment between the alternate illumination of the lamps in the other compartments.

6. A traffic crossing signal comprising a plurality of compartments including means for conveying trafiic stop and"trafiic go information, another compartment includ ing means for conveying traflic chan e information, and means for alternately illuminating the Stop and Go compartments and for illuminating the Chan e com artment after each illumination 0 the top and Go compartments.

7. In a device of the class described, the combination of a set of signal devices arranged to simultaneously permit trafiic to proceed on one street and restrain traflic on an intersecting street, a second set of sig nal devices reversely arranged, means for alternately displaying the sets of signal devices to change the flow of traffic, a trafiic change signal visible in opposite directions along each street, and means for illuminating the traflic change signal in advance of each change of the traffic signals.

8. In a device of the class described, the combination of a set of signal devices arranged to simultaneously permit traffic to proceed on one street and restrain traflic on an intersecting street, a second set of si nal devices reversely arranged, means for aIternately illuminating the signal devices, including a lamp for each set, a traffic chang signal visible in opposite directions along each street, and means for illuminating the trafiic change signal in advance of the illumination of each of the other signals.

9. In a device of the class described, the combination of a pair of reversely arranged signal devices adapted to alternately and simultaneously permit trafiic to proceed on one street and restrain traffic on an intersectin street, means for alternately displaying each of said pair, a traffic change signal visible in all directions, and means for illuminating said traffic change signal between the illumination of said signal devices.

10. In a device of the class described, the combination of a pair of reversely arranged signal devices adapted to alternately and simultaneously permit t'raflic to proceed on one street and restrain traffic on an intersecting street, means for alternately illuminating each of said si nal devices after the la se of a time interva a traffic change signa and means for illuminating said trafiic change signal during said time interval.

In testimony that we claim the foregoing we have hereunto set our hands at Milwaukee, in the county of Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin.

HUGO A. KLEINSTEUBER. THOMAS E. HAYES. 

